


Together

by Master_Magician



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-28 10:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11416299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Magician/pseuds/Master_Magician
Summary: None of this even seemed wrong, it all felt perfectly natural, like second nature. At least until Kimberly realized she was lying about having “accidentally” leaving her textbook with Jason’s stuff at lunch, just so she would have an excuse to see him and walk with him to his next class. The kicker? Said textbook and class were on the opposite side of the school to hers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself I wanted to see this movie but it left theaters before I got the chance. I finally got to watch it the other day online and holy hell. I Should have made time to go see it, it was awesome. I'm also a sucker for the found family archetype.
> 
> Honestly, I'm not sure how active this fandom is. Not to mention there seems to be only a handful of Kimberly/Jason. So here is my contribution.
> 
> Enjoy.

Home life was a complicated thing. Kimberly always knew this but only recently was it really starting to sink in. She had always found it to be a place of absolute safety, somewhere where fears and worries melted away. Parents were fully supportive no matter your choices and actions.

At least… that was how home was supposed to be. It certainly was for almost Kimberly's entire life. But when you start making choices that they didn't support? That was when the gold veneer was peeled away to reveal the rot beneath.

Kimberly had a comfortable and loving home life as far back as she could remember, but this was only because she had been subconsciously conforming all along. She never stopped to ask herself if what she was doing was what she wanted.

Every parent wants their kid to be part of the "popular" crowd, because they were somebody. In some cases, the town worshipped the ground they walked on. The popular ones were the people parents could look at and say "that's my child, I'm so proud of them".

The type of person Kimberly used to be. Just like Kimberly used to have a loving home life and family. Now she was just another problem child who ruined their own life. Something Kimberly's parents did not take well.

Kimberly could almost quote the regular lectures she was getting every couple of days now. How could you be so stupid, how could you be so cruel, how could you… how could you… It was never ending, it was suffocating.

Kimberly did have to be honest with herself, among the team her issues were pretty low on the spectrum. Between Zach mom, Billy's condition, and Trini's even worse home life, Kimberly's problems felt tiny by comparison. Perhaps this was why she never brought them up to anyone save Jason. Everyone had their own worse issues sure, but Jason among all of them was in Kimberly's same boat.

It was exactly this reason Kimberly came to Jason after their fireside confessions. At least at the time she had been hoping he would understand. She was fully ready for another round of verbal thrashing from their new leader. She probably deserved it too, it would have been only right for him to.

Except he didn't.

Jason listened and understood. Kimberly showed him her darkness, fully expecting him to turn her away in disgust, and he did not blink. More than that, he metaphorically raised her back to her feet with just a few words.

In that exact moment, all doubts about Jason that Kimberly still held vanished. If any one of them had the right to claim they were the leader of their team, it was Jason Scott.

Be the person you wanna to be. Those were the words that Jason said to her. Kimberly didn't tell him just how often she repeated those seven words within her mind. They brought her a strength she felt she was lacking.

Those words still swam within her mind. They became her mantra of a sort, any moment she felt herself slipping all it took was a repeat of those words and she knew she could fight on.

At the time, Kimberly was struck so deeply by Jason's speech that she was stunned into silence. Thank god for that, because the first thought she came up with was absolutely insane.

Um, honestly? I kinda wanna be the girl who kisses you right now.

Where in the holy hell had that come from? Even now, weeks later she still couldn't figure out an answer to that internal question. It plagued her thoughts constantly. Just as Jason invaded her thoughts, so too did he invade her reality.

It was inevitable, you don't save the world alongside four others without growing closer. Even Trini, master of the antisocial arts was warming to the group. Of course, this meant more time around each other. In school and outside it, in addition to more training.

It wasn't like Kimberly could avoid Jason or any of them, not without telling why and that was way off the table. It couldn't last forever, she was going to have to confess something eventually. The others were getting suspicious, their ranger bond allowed to feel each other's emotions to a limited degree but not thoughts thankfully.

Didn't help that Kimberly didn't know what she could tell them, she didn't even know herself!

That night in Jason's room was only the beginning. That was only the first time she started having these thoughts. The second was when they carried Billy back to the ship, as much as the memories of Billy's temporary death pained her, something else happened during the dive into the water. It happened again when their zords were crushed together during the final battle.

There was… something there in the looks they shared. Some kind of mutual connection that went further than their bonds as rangers.

It was not the end of it either. What happened next began with subtle things at first. Kimberly began standing closer to Jason than usual, she would automatically gravitate to his side on their private "ranger only" table as Zach called it. She became hyper aware of their leader's presence, even more so than the others. Whenever he took a hit during training, Kimberly would feel her stomach lurch uncomfortably.

None of this even seemed wrong, it all felt perfectly natural, like second nature. At least until Kimberly realized she was lying about having "accidently" left her textbook with Jason's stuff at lunch, just so she would have an excuse to see him and walk with him to his next class. The kicker? Said textbook and class were on the opposite side of the school to hers.

Needless to say, this was a problem.

Sometimes Kimberly just needed to get out, go… somewhere. Anywhere that was not her home, a place she could clear her head even for a little while. It was this same behavior that led to her midnight swim, which led to the coins, which led to her new job as a ranger. Such were the intricacies of life.

Another swim was Kimberly's first idea but she shot that down quickly. While the cold mountain water would work for a little but, it wouldn't last long enough or tire her out enough to sleep properly.

Hmm… distraction, tire her out, and keep her busy? Kimberly had the perfect idea for all three things. Although a swim was still required like it or not, one of these days they needed to ask Alpha about that. There had to be an easier way of getting into the ship.

"Kimberly!" Alpha chirped way too enthusiastically for Kimberly's tastes. Nobody had the right to sound that cheerful, except maybe Billy. "Good morning! What brings you here?"

"Few rounds in the pit." Kimberly brushed past him, but made sure not to bump him in the process. She was impatient, not heartless.

"Coming right up." Alpha zoomed past her to set up the simulation.

All five rangers sometimes came out here at weird hours for the exact reason Kimberly had come. It was an unspoken rule that they wouldn't talk about the why. They all had their reasons and there was no need for a rehash.

After taking her place, the hologram putties appeared. The sight of only three putties made Kimberly scowl. She could beat that in her sleep with both hands tied. This simply wasn't going to work.

"Give me a couple dozen." Kimberly stretched her arms.

"Uh… alright." Alpha acknowledged but just stared at Kimberly.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to morph?" Alpha said it like his question was obvious.

"No." Kimberly briefly considered if before answering. "I need to practice fighting without armor. Give me some guys to smash." It was too easy to lie to the robot, Kimberly hated it but oh well.

"Very well." Alpha answered, obviously not liking this, as many more of the rock creatures appeared.

"That's more like it!" Kimberly grinned as she dashed forward, focusing her entire mind on the battle at hand.

It was inevitable she would take a few hits, and without her armor it certainly hurt, but Kimberly didn't care. Pain was good, it helped keep her distracted even better than the actual fight did.

As she ducked and weaved about, Kimberly did her best not to let the putties surround her, but there were a lot more of them than her. Even with ranger reflexes and speed, she could only keep track for so long.

She had just landed a brutal kick that destroyed a putties entire abdomen when a rock fist caught Kimberly in the back of the head. The blow stunned her long enough for another to land another blow to her stomach from the front.

Kimberly lashed out with a snarl of rage and destroyed both but other hits soon followed. The third a direct hit to her face and bloodying her nose. Before Kimberly knew it, she was on the ground.

If the rangers ever took too serious of a beating, Alpha would immediately stop the exercise. Which is what Kimberly had been expecting when the putties began to pile on top of her in a crushing wave of stone fists.

What Kimberly had not been expecting, was for the putties to be knocked off of her instead of disappearing.

Before she could try to take advantage of the opening to free herself, Kimberly felt another hand latch onto hers and jerk her back up. Only the pull was not to help her regain footing, it was too hard for that.

Kimberly had just enough time to blink before she was tossed up into the air. Recognizing the move from one of their training sessions, Kimberly used the momentum of the fall to take out three of the putties at once upon dropping back down.

The fight was so chaotic, Kimberly almost didn't see just who her rescuer was. But she did catch a glimpse before she came crashing down, and a glimpse was all she needed.

Jason.

The red and pink rangers immediately fell into step together. As one would strike, the other would block, the pair a twirling hurricane of destruction unleashed upon the putties. Most of the time they were facing opposite directions and unable to see the other, but still managed to move as a cohesive whole.

Strangely enough, smashing the rock monsters alongside Jason brought Kimberly a strange sense of… serenity. Even as her body ached from the exertion and the pain of the hits she'd taken, Kimberly felt good.

Over four dozen putties later, Kimberly and Jason were surrounded by a field of rubble that soon vanished into thin air. Only then did Kimberly realize she hadn't taken a single hit since Jason's arrival, even when she had gone on the offensive Jason had shielded her just as well as she had done him.

Deep breaths moving her whole chest and skin slick with sweat, Kimberly closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax against the muscles of Jason's back behind her. She didn't even realize she was doing it at first, it had been a subconscious act.

It took way too long for Kimberly to comprehend what she was doing and that yes, she really was not imagining it and Jason really was in the room with her. She almost panicked but was too scared to actually move off her fellow ranger.

"You alright?" If Jason was bothered by the girl leaning against him he certainly didn't show it.

"Um… yeah." Kimberly felt the moisture on her upper lip and brought a hand up to see what it was. When it came away smeared with fresh blood she remembered the lucky hit one of the putties got before Jason's arrival. She swore softly under her breath but it was loud enough for Jason to hear.

Jason moved but Kimberly was leaning so heavily against him she instantly started to fall. She would have landed flat on her back up Jason hadn't caught her with a hand to her lower back.

Making sure Kimberly was steady on her feet, Jason circled her to see her face. The grimace that came next made Kimberly's insides twist uncomfortably. "It probably looks worse than it actually is."

Jason sighed and took her by the hand to the rock they stash their first aid kit behind. Kimberly forced herself to ignore the tingles that still radiated from her hand after he let go to open the box.

As she sat there, Jason cleaning some of the blood away with a scrap cloth, Kimberly felt her heart sink. All the pieces clicked into place at once.

"Oh, this is not happening." Kimberly groaned, she would have slapped herself in the forehead but that would have stopped Jason from his work.

"Hey." Jason flashed her a tiny smile, so similar to the one he wore when she visited his bedroom that night this all started. "You were right, it's not so bad. Probably going to sting like hell, but should look good as new by morning."

"Yeah." Kimberly mustered a weak smile while her thoughts continued a different path. Sure, she was totally worried about her face being mangled. Yeah, and she totally wasn't at all scared about what these emotions she was feeling meant.

"There we go." Jason finished up and Kimberly found herself missing his touch far more than she had any right to. Jason paused for a minute before continuing. "You might have a black eye later."

"I'm sorry, what?" Kimberly shook herself from the small trance she had been in.

'Isn't that my line?" Jason light tapped her knee with his knuckles.

Kimberly remembered the first time they actually met and couldn't suppress the small giggle that left her lips. "I didn't see your name on it."

"But didn't you hear?" Jason gasped with mock offense. "It's in the script."

Kimberly just laughed until she recalled more of the day they first met. She had just dived into the water like she often did but when she surfaced she found Jason frantically calling her name. He had just peeled off his jacket and was obviously about to dive in after her, thinking she was in trouble.

Back then she was a little moved by the gesture but thought little of it. Recalling it right now brought back those stupid butterflies in her stomach.

Didn't crap like that only happen in movies and those sappy romance novels? Surely that wasn't a real thing.

"So, what brings you here at two in the morning?" Kimberly needed a change in topics right now, only to realize too late she had just broken the unspoken rule of not asking about midnight trips to the ship.

"Had another argument with my dad." Jason answered without missing a beat, replacing the first aid kit. "Tried to sleep it off but just needed to get out."

"You too huh?" Kimberly knew exactly how the other ranger was feeling.

"Sounds like fun times for everybody huh?" Jason's smile was a lot tighter lipped this time, no trace of humor in his tone.

"For what it's worth." Kimberly was about to pat Jason's arm, but didn't trust herself enough to do so. "Your dad doesn't know squat, and can go screw off."

"They do kinda have a point you know."

"They say you let them down, they say you're nothing. They're all wrong, you're a hero, Jason." And you're my hero, but thankfully Kimberly was able to keep that part as thoughts only. The malfunctioning brain to mouth censor was starting to become worrying. "Be who you wanna be, remember?"

"Yeah." Now that smile on Jason was more like what should be there. "What about you? Weren't you down here getting beaten to a pulp before I even got here?"

"Uh…" Kimberly knew she shouldn't be embarrassed for doing something so stupid. Damn Jason for making her feel things like this! "Yeah… pretty much same reasons as you."

Jason nodded in understanding. "Not to steal your words, but they apply to you too you know." Kimberly never got a chance to fire back her prepared self-deprecating response. "Let them talk, that's exactly what it is. Just talk. You're a hero too, you know."

"But…"

"Ah." Jason silenced her with a single finger in the air. "Be who you wanna be. Who do you want to be?"

"Um, honestly? I kinda wanna be the girl who kisses you right now."

It wasn't until she saw the look on Jason's face that it dawned on Kimberly that holy mother of god she said that out loud. The words were no longer safe within the confines of her brain and were now out and free to spread chaos and misery.

The cavern was quiet enough to hear a needle drop. Jason's face turned redder than his armor but he said nothing. Kimberly felt her own face flush but whatever words she could have said in a pathetic attempt to recover couldn't even form within her short-circuiting brain.

Kimberly could run. Running was definitely a viable option. She could surely escape the ship before Jason recovered and… yeah that was not going to work. Maybe she could scream for Alpha to summon more putties as a distraction. Alpha had vanished shortly after Jason's arrival though so no, that wouldn't do much good either.

Oh lord, she was so screwed. Too bad they were too far from the actual wall, otherwise Kimberly would have bashed her head against it in an attempt to punish her stupid, traitorous, brain. If she must suffer, so shall it.

"Do you?" Jason was first to recover his voice, shaky and not leaderlike thought it was.

"Y… yeah." Kimberly would deny to her dying day that she squeaked like a mouse when she said that. The truth was irrelevant.

"Oh." Jason choked out.

They had been sitting closely while Jason cleaned her wounds and scooted slightly apart when he was finished, but over the course of their short talk the pair had slowly gravitated closer and closer. Now they were less than a foot apart.

There was something in those eyes of Jason's that made Kimberly snap.

"Kim…" That was all Jason managed to get out before Kimberly pounced upon him, her lips crashing into his.

Normally, even to the other rangers, they tried to dial down their strength so avoid mishaps. Kimberly didn't even bother doing that here. She slammed into Jason full force, whom never had a hope of catching either of them.

The pair tumbled to the floor, being splattered by a cloud of dust and sand in the process. Jason landed flat on his back, slamming his head into the ground. Kimberly had slightly better fortune, she found herself straddling the red ranger but her knees banged into the ground at the same time as Jason's head.

Ignoring the impact, Kimberly reached her hands up to tangle in Jason's hair as her lips claimed his like a starving woman at a feast. She was briefly worried she was forcing herself on him when Jason didn't react at first. Until his hands found her hips and slid up her body to grip her shoulders and pull her flush against him.

It almost wasn't enough, Kimberly wanted more. It took what little shreds of her willpower to keep her thoughts from straying too far into deep waters and contented herself with kissing for now.

They were both covered in sweat, and now equally splattered in sand and grit now. The kiss was way too sloppy and Kimberly, who liked to think she actually had some experience kissing, found the whole situation completely unromantic.

But god was it perfect.

Kimberly didn't stop until she had to for air, she was starting to see spots already. Breathing even heavier than earlier after thrashing the putties, Kimberly peppered Jason's jaw and cheek with kisses. Every inch of skin she could reach she wanted to feel against her lips.

Eventually, Jason was able to sit up, but Kimberly had no intentions of vacating his lap any time soon. Jason must have realized this and allowed her to loosely wrap her legs around him while his hands roamed her back through the top she wore.

"Are we… going to talk about this?" Kimberly bit her lip hard as she looked down at Jason, her forehead against his.

"Do we really need to?" Jason's eyebrow arched ever so slightly.

"Hell no." Kimberly attacked his lips once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the follow up to Together as promised to my readers. Here I thought it was going to be hard to write and shorter than I wanted. Yeah… I was totally wrong.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Think we're ever going to get up, Kim?"

"Probably not." Kimberly affectionally nuzzled Jason's shoulder. "You're too comfy."

"Maybe I am, but you got the better seat." Jason laughed as he touched his lips to her collar bone. "And my head still hurts."

"I said I was sorry." No, Kimberly totally was not sorry at all. About the minor head injury sure, but not the rest no way in the world was she going to be sorry for the rest.

The pair had yet to even get up from the floor of the pit. This was even after their… well, two heated make out sessions. Not Kimberly's fault she suddenly found herself starving for Jason's touch. It didn't help matters that the red ranger had found the spot where her top rode up and exposed a sliver of skin on her sides.

The sensations that came with his touch were positively sinful, right along with his kisses.

They honestly didn't even have to talk about what they were doing. It wasn't like in the movies where the couple had to have the 'feelings talk' as Trini would have called it. Jason and Kimberly were able to skip that little step entirely.

It felt more like they'd already had that discussion, just not vocally. Almost like the red and pink rangers had a connection that went even further than their bond as rangers.

If she was honest with herself, Kimberly first felt the stirrings when she kept catching Jason's stare. He wasn't exactly being subtle, but the old Kimberly was used to male attention. It wasn't until he interrupted her midnight swim that it really started to dawn on her to pay him more attention.

Who else would have dived into frigid water, in the dark mind you, to rescue someone who was almost a stranger? Jason Scott, red ranger, and Kimberly's boyfriend, that's who.

Hmm… boyfriend, Kimberly liked the sound of that.

Kimberly knew she was floating on cloud nine and would have to come down eventually. She did not, however. expect it to be so quick along with a rather nasty thought that popped into her head.

They were Power Rangers, it was their job to protect the world from threats like Rita after the crystal. Were inter-team relationships even tolerated in such a high stakes mission? Most ranger teams were surely just as close as theirs was, and you don't bond together as a team like theirs without somebody falling for somebody else.

"What's wrong?" Jason had noticed the dark look that crossed Kimberly's features.

"Just had a bad thought. Is this…" Kimberly motioned to her and Jason, "even allowed?"

"I hadn't thought about that." Jason frowned. Kimberly was overcome with an intense urge to kiss that deplorable look away. "Should we go ask Zordon?"

"There's no way I am involving him in my love life." Kimberly scowled, already hating the idea. "What about Alpha? He seems to know a lot of ranger stuff."

"Good idea. We better go find where he ran off to." Jason stood up, effortlessly lifting Kimberly's weight off him but in doing so held her up in his arms for a little longer than necessary.

"Such a gentleman." Kimberly grinned already leaning in for a kiss.

"Focus, Kim." Jason gave Kimberly a quick peck on the lips before setting her down. "Business first."

"You're no fun." Kimberly seized Jason by the hand and pulled him along with her out of the room. Externally she was full of confidence and sure of herself. Internally was a whole different story, there was no telling what talking to Alpha would reveal.

Kimberly prepared herself for her entire world to come crashing down again as she and Jason searched the ship for their robotic trainer.

The two rangers found him tinkering with a panel in one of the hallways. The sight almost made Kimberly think of Billy, but she focused on her current problem.

"Alpha, we've been looking for you." Jason was first to speak as the duo approached. They had been holding hands while searching, but Kimberly swiftly moved the hold behind her back so Alpha couldn't see. All of the rangers stood closely together at random times, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. It also allowed Kimberly to focus on Jason's hand in her own as reassurance.

"Jason, good to see you, and you too, Kimberly." Alpha replaced the panel back into the wall and turned to face the rangers. "I felt you two would need a short break after that last round."

Considering how much Kimberly's face still stung, Alpha was not wrong. Not only that, she was grateful the robot hadn't been around for the part after training. She totally would have done it with him there, but she would rather avoid an audience unless necessary.

"Good call." Jason agreed, no doubt remembering the same post training fun Kimberly was recalling. "Hey, we actually had some stuff we wanted to ask you. How much do you know about the Power Rangers?"

"Oh, quite a bit." If Alpha had a mouth, Kimberly knew he would be grinning ear to ear. The robot loved answering any questions asked of him. "I served Zordon and his team for quite a few years and another team before that. What is it you would like to know?"

Talking to Alpha right now made Kimberly realize that none of them really knew that much about this "legion of warriors" they were now part of. They hadn't thought to ask any history questions or anything. Hmm… they might need to fix that later, but first things first.

"We were just umm… curious about something." Kimberly spoke next, doing her best not to sound as nervous as she felt. "Are there any rules about things like… uhh dating and stuff?"

"Dating?" Alpha mused over the word before Kimberly realized he may not know what it actually meant. "Oh! That is the term you humans to describe courtship, correct?"

God, using the term courtship sounded so cheesy to Kimberly, but at least it got the point across. "Yeah."

"I am sure you remember Master Zordon's rules to being a Power Ranger, yes?" Alpha began but didn't continue until Jason and Kimberly both nodded. "There are indeed rules, but he was able to form an effective summary you were better able to understand. To answer your querry, no, there are no restrictions on such a thing."

"Really?" Jason sounded every bit as astonished at Kimberly felt. "None? We're allowed to date each other too?"

"Yes."

"No way." Kimberly knew she was looking a gift horse in the mouth, but she hadn't been able to stop the words from coming out. "You're yanking our chains, you have to be. It can't be that simple."

"I am not pulling on your chains." Alpha must have been learning more modern slang from one of the other rangers. "You two are allowed to court each other."

"We're not…"

"We're not…"

Jason and Kimberly both spoking the same thing at once did nothing to help their case at all. Whatever defense the two were going to conjure was shot full of holes with Alpha's next words.

"I may be oblivious to the subtler human mannerisms and language, but I am still able to read your vitals. Such as how the two of you receive a jump in heart rate when in each other's presence. The other rangers do not have this response. And while I have noticed humans looking at each other is a common act, the two of you share these gazes four hundred percent more than the others. And my sensors also indicate…"

"Okay we get it." Kimberly snapped, having seen enough movies to know exactly where he was going. "Fine, you got us." Kimberly let go of Jason's hand, but immediately sluing his arm across her shoulders. "But my point still stands. I don't believe it, it's too good to be true."

"I know you have figured this out already, but the life of a Power Ranger is not an easy one." Alpha's voice turned horrifyingly somber, even more so when they'd brought a fallen Billy back to the ship. "It is a difficult life, one of tremendous danger, and even greater pressure. There are some who overcome, some who crack or lose themselves to madness."

Like Rita. Alpha didn't have to say the name for Kimberly to know what he meant.

"And the rule of never revealing out identity to others." Jason's voice was low, his arm subconsciously pulling Kimberly closer. "Means we have no one to turn to except our team."

"Yes. Power Rangers can rely on no one save each other to understand their mission and trauma." Alpha being grim was disturbing on so many levels to Kimberly. "Often times, this forges a bond between rangers that transcends even their bond as a team. Many rangers have found solace in the arms of another ranger. Such a thing carries no taboo, if anything it is encouraged."

"But what happens if something happens between the two rangers?" Kimberly cleared her throat, ignoring Jason's tighter hold. "Won't that cause trouble in the team?"

"It can, but is deemed an acceptable risk. If there is one thing I have learned when observing courtship between Power Rangers, it is that a ranger will fight beyond their limits when in the presence of their lover."

Kimberly recalled her ill-planned round in the pit just a short time ago. The way she and Jason fought side by side against the hologram putties. They were not even an actual couple yet, and still they complimented each other perfectly in battle. Perhaps there was something to Alpha's words.

"I believe this is where I am supposed to say, congratulations?" Alpha's voice shifted back to his usual cheerful self, something Kimberly was infinitely grateful for.

"Sure thing, buddy." Jason gave the small robot a fist bump, something Kimberly knew for a fact he had learned from Billy.

Kimberly left the ship with Jason's arm still around her, feeling more cheerful than ever. Right up until her boyfriend reminded her that they still needed to tell the rest of their team.

"Oh, lovely." Kimberly groaned.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"What, we're just going to blurt it out? Just like that?" Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Real elegant there, babe."

"Really? One night and we're already at pet names?" Jason smirked. "And babe? Come on."

"I have a list I can go down if you'd like." Kimberly taunted but it wasn't an idle threat, she did have a list and was ready to unleash it upon her unsuspecting boyfriend.

The two rangers had decided it was best to let the rest of their friends know about the relationship as soon as possible. There was no point or reason in hiding it from them. While Kimberly was nervous, she couldn't bring herself to care what the others said. It was doubtful any of them would really mind though.

The only real debate was how to go about letting them know. Their early arrival to the lunch table gave the pair a perfect time to plan their attack.

"We should just make this simple, as soon as they all get here I'll just sit in your lap." Kimberly grinned. "It's a win-win, we get lunch cuddle time and they get to be brought into the know."

"Tempting." Jason shook his head but smiled every bit as warmed as Kimberly was at the thought. "But a little too direct, and we might make Trini puke."

"Oh no." Kimberly's grin turned mischievous. "If I wanted to make her sick, I'd pin you down to the table and kiss your until you couldn't remember your own name."

Kimberly had leaned in close and turned her voice breathy and low while speaking. Poor Jason was so flustered, he was turned into a stuttering mess completely at Kimberly's mercy.

Fortunately for Jason, Kimberly was a merciful girlfriend. In public, at least.

"Hey, are you guys plotting behind my back again?" Zack appeared at the table and flung himself into his customary seat. "Oooh or are we plotting behind Trini's back? If so, I can totally get in on this action."

"I'm standing right here, idiot." Trini came next, right behind Zack with Billy a minute later.

"Shhh, mums the word." Zack whispered dramatically for all the hear across the table to Kimberly and Jason, along with an unsubtle wink.

The act earned Zack an elbow in the ribs from the yellow ranger.

"Hey, you okay?" Billy was first to notice it. "You have a black eye, Kim."

"Oh this." Kimberly laughed. She was going to use some makeup to conceal it, at least a little so nobody noticed, but she'd been so enraptured with Jason's presence on the trek back from the ship that she'd completely forgot. "Holo putty got a lucky hit in. You should see the other guy, not enough left of him to fit in a glass jar."

"Him and about a few dozen others." Jason laughed just before taking a drink, but stopped cold when he realized what he'd said.

"Oh? What is this?" Zack grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "Late night training? Or a more funner late night?"

"Funner isn't a word." Billy supplied from beside the black ranger but Zack just brushed him off.

"Real enough, pal. But enough about that, I want details." Zack rubbed both hands together enthusiastically. "All the gritty and gory details."

"We made out, it was no big deal." Kimberly shrug was so nonchalant while eating her food that even Jason was caught off guard. "The first time, the second I can safely say blew my mind."

"Kim!" Jason all but squealed, flushing brighter than his armor.

"What?" Kimberly smirked, lifting Jason's arm so she could curl into his side like a cat. If she got any looks from anyone else in the room and their fellow rangers, oh well. "It's true."

Okay, so the confession hadn't exactly gone according to their semi-plan, but Kimberly was having way too much fun so far. A blushing Jason was just too adorable not to toy with. They had accidentally spilled the beans prematurely, no reason not to take advantage.

"And how long has this been going one?" Trini's eyes narrowed as she put her elbows on the table, her fingers laced together, and her chin resting on them. No doubt in an attempt to look intimidating.

"Since last night." Jason admitted, having accepted the situation.

"And how long has it been since we slapped Rita into orbit?" Trini asked the group as a whole.

"A few weeks?" Kimberly responded first but didn't understand the question. "Why?"

"About twenty-five days." Billy was the one to give a more exact answer. The moment he did, his eyes widened in alarm.

Trini was grinning like a loon, while Zack and Billy wore looks of despair.

"Aww man…" Billy groaned.

"Son of a…" Zack slammed his head down on the table, the wood cracking slightly under the impact.

"Ha!" Trini cheered. "I win, pay up suckers!"

Billy started to get out his wallet but Trini stopped him with a hand up. "How about this, give me some homework help this week and we call it even. Deal?"

"Deal." Billy smiled, replacing the wallet in his pocket.

"Zack, you better pony up." Trini's smile was absolutely predatory as she whacked Zack with her knee.

"Fine, fine." Zack was muffled since he had yet to lift his head but did so after a moment. "Anybody got a pen?"

Billy slid one down the table.

"Thanks." Zack sounded utterly dejected as he scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here you go, Trini. One free make Zack shut up for a day card." Zack started to hand the paper to the yellow ranger but pulled it back at the last second and took what Kimberly felt was his attempt at an old sage voice. "Just remember young grasshopper, with great power comes great responsibility."

"And great enjoyment." Trini snatched the paper from his hand, her victorious smirk never fading.

"Uh… can someone tell me what the hell just happened?" Kimberly watched the whole scene play out before she recovered enough to speak.

"Yeah, little clueless here." Jason motioned to the group. "What did we do?"

"You two." Zack pointed a fork menacingly at the pink and red rangers. "Just cost me dearly, I hope you know this. I expect repayment."

"Thing one and thing two here." Trini pointed at the blue and black rangers at her sides with her thumbs. "Made a bet and lost."

"What does this bet have to do with us?" Kimberly was starting to understand now.

"When you two would wise up and see you have the hots for each other." Zack had dropped his head yet again, but avoided breaking the table this time. "Two months."

"Two weeks." Billy meekly raised a hand.

"One month. I got closest, so I get to reap the sweet rewards." Trini giggled evilly as she waved the paper Zack gave her like a captured flag from a fortress.

"You were betting on us?" Jason's eye twitched. "Seriously?"

"Well it was that or lock you two in a closet together." Trini confessed. "But we couldn't find strong enough chain to tie you two together."

"I wanted to trick you into a blind date with each other. Totally sorry."

"What?" Kimberly's jaw dropped at the confession from Billy.

"I know, devious, isn't it?" Zack tilted his head up just enough for everyone to see his grin. "I think my student is learning well."

"Can it, Taylor. Or else." Trini waved the paper menacingly in the black ranger's face making him take on a grimace. "Ah, power is sweet."

"Were we really that obvious?" Kimberly liked to think they weren't, but the looks from the other rangers told her all she needed to know.

"Are you kidding me?" Trini rubbed her temples. "It was driving us nuts! You two were constantly making goo goo eyes at each other and didn't even know it!"

"Yeah." Billy nodded. "Even I could see it."

"Ditto." Zack raised his hand but little else.

"That's bull." Kimberly countered, even though she knew the rangers were right. And were no doubt about to prove their point.

"Okay, let's count off a little." Trini raised one finger. "Haven't you ever noticed how Jason lags behind when we go through the water to the ship?"

"I always assumed he was doing some leader crap and making sure we were all safe." Kimberly never thought anything of it.

"Uh, no." Trini deadpanned. "He spends the whole walk into the ship checking you out while you're wet. Don't you dare deny it, Jason."

Jason had opened his mouth but closed it the second Trini turned her attention on him.

"And who could blame him? You're hot, I do it too." Trini admitted with zero shame whatsoever.

Everyone turned their stares to the yellow ranger.

"What?" Trini ignored the looks. "Can't blame a girl for looking."

"And let's not forget." Zack sat up fully again. "Kimberly always watches when Jason changes his shirt during or after training. You're not exactly subtle, Kim. And when it comes to sparring partners, you two always pick each other when it's your turn to choose."

"We really were that obvious." Kimberly didn't know what she was supposed to feel. If anything, she was a bit relieved. Their friends knew and even made a fun time of it like the rangers often did with things.

"Well, that was… easy." Jason laughed once the group had split up after lunch to go to their respective classes. He and Kimberly would have to part for the rest of the day soon, much to Kimberly's annoyance.

"Hey, I'm not going to question it. Now give me a quick kiss before I have to go. It's the only way I'll make it through the day." Kimberly wrapped her arms around Jason's neck while his found their way around her waist.

"That's PDA, Kim." Jason chastised but leaned in anyway.

Their lips had just met when a voice echoed from down the hallway. "That's detention, Mr. Scott and Miss. Hart."

Jason and Kimberly didn't even separate, they certainly heard the teacher, but neither particularly cared. Far as they were concerned, the world consisted of only them and an empty hallway.

Detention was totally worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, that actually came out better than I was hoping. This will probably be the last chapter unless I get inspiration for some pure fluff or a suggestion. Next up will be the follow up to Scars, which is already 70% finished.
> 
> Also, I normally try to avoid writing Billy. Mostly because I love his character and for the life of me I cannot write him properly. Hopefully he was close enough to right here.

**Author's Note:**

> Huh, that kind of got away on me. There will be a follow up chapter since this one ended up being as long as it is.
> 
> I have ideas for more stories but it all depends on how active the fandom is. If I get reviewers then I'll do more after the follow-up.
> 
> Let me know how I did everyone.


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